Naples to Sorrento: The Ultimate Guide!

Getting from Naples to Sorrento is a popular journey – after all, who wouldn’t want to visit Sorrento? It’s a sun-splashed slice of Italian life, filled with little shops selling artisan goods, friendly locals, and most importantly, a metric ton of gelato. I don’t know about you, but I’m sold already.

Fortunately, because Sorrento is popular in its own right (as well as being a gateway to the Amalfi Coast, and an ideal base for exploring the area), it’s extremely easy to get from Naples to Sorrento! But that doesn’t mean that it’s not confusing for the first time visitor. The very fact that there’s a number of options on how to reach Sorrento can cause overwhelm, and uncertainty on which way is best. Train? Bus? Boat? Helicopter? You probably don’t want to consider that last option unless you’re super-rich, but all the others are viable.

Worry ye not! I’ve traveled from Naples to Sorrento five times, and so I’m the perfect guide for getting you there. I’ll also keep the budgeting as bargain-filled as possible, because more leftover money means more fun spending it on something else! Specifically, that gelato.

So let’s kick off with a short one: getting to Naples, and your transport options once you get there.

Getting To Naples

I tend to use Skyscanner  for checking up on cheap flights, and I thoroughly recommend it. So I’ve done a tiny bit of experimenting (and you’ll obviously need to check this from your local airport, lovely international readership), but from what I can see, flights are cheapest, rather predictably, in the winter low season. This seems to extend from November, which has some gloriously cheap flights, right the way through to around March. Interestingly, April/May doesn’t see a huge increase in price – if we take flights from New York as an example, they cost $578 in January, and $728 in May. Not a huge difference for some considerably better weather, if that’s a factor which is important for you.

Always remember to use an incognito or private window in your internet browser when you’re checking for flights. Websites generally want to frighten you into booking a trip as soon as possible, so if you don’t use an incognito window, you’ve often find that prices jump upwards every time you check. This is both emotionally confusing, and rather harsh on the bank balance, so avoid all that unnecessary stress and use a private window – your cookies will be cleared each time you open a window, giving you the actual cheapest price available.

If you’re touring Italy and want to visit Naples, the city is well-served by its train station! The most common previous stop is Rome – indeed, people who have an extended stay in Italy’s capital will often pop down to Naples and the Amalfi Coast for a few days. It only takes just over an hour to arrive at Napoli Centrale from Rome Termini, and will cost you about €27 (buy a second-class ticket; it’s really not worth a first class ticket for such a short journey). Check out Trenitalia’s website for up-to-date info!

How Do I Get From Naples to Sorrento?

Naples is a fantastic place to stay for a few days – the food is amazing (if you visit Naples and don’t try a pizza, I’m afraid that you’re simply going to have to go back again), the locals are friendly, and it’s filled to the brim with outstanding historical sites. In fact, if you’re staying in Naples, check out the below guides (written by my good self!) to making the most of the city!

One Day in Naples

The 5 Best Things to do in Naples

Best Pizza In Naples: L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele

However, if you fancy doing what I did, and using Sorrento as the beautiful, perfectly-positioned base that it is, you have a few options on how to get there.

How do I get a bus from Naples to Sorrento?

For the cheapest way to get from Naples to Sorrento, check out CurreriViaggi.  This awesome bus company stops at Naples Airport, and has been running a shuttle service from Naples to Sorrento since 1965. Look for their buses in the P1 parking area: you can buy a ticket on board, or in advance via their website, and are allowed one piece of large luggage and one small bag for free (there’s a €5 charge for each additional suitcase). Best of all, you can catch one of their buses and ride all the way to Sorrento for just €10, which is an absolute bargain!

How do I get a transfer from Naples to Sorrento?

There’s a number of companies which offer private car transfers from Naples to Sorrento – if you’ve just had a long flight to Naples, it can absolutely be worth the extra splash of cash in order to rest up, and get your trip off to a relaxing start. Not to mention reaching your hotel as soon as possible, especially if it’s late and you’re desperate for some sleep!

I always recommend using GetYourGuide for private transfers in Europe. It’s a company I’ve used before, and they always get excellent reviews – you can pretty much be assured that anything you book through them is going to be reasonably price for the service, and trustworthy. Sit back and enjoy the views!

 

For Staying in Naples Or the Islands

The CurreriViaggi bus is by far the best way of getting to Sorrento (don’t be tempted to get a taxi; it’s a very expensive way to do it. Arrange a private shuttle if you really want to travel by car). However, if you’re staying in Naples, Ischia or Capri, you’ll want to get a bus from the airport.

Run by Alibus, this will take you to the Centrale train station, Naples Porto di Massa, and Molo Beverello port. Pick it up from outside the airport: as you exit the arrivals lounge, go straight out of the glass doors ahead of you – you’ll see a canopied walkway, which serves as the bus stop. You can buy your tickets on the bus; remember to validate it in the machine!

Tickets cost €5, and buses depart every 20-30 minutes, every day, from 0630 to 2340. Journey time to the station is around 20 minutes, with a journey to Molo Beverello taking about 35 minutes.

If you’re travelling from Naples to Capri (you lucky thing!), check out my in-depth guide on how to do the journey! Or have a look at the very best things to do in Capri!

How do I get the Naples to Sorrento ferry?

There’s also boats from Naples to Sorrento, if you really want to arrive in style! Catch the Alibus shuttle detailed above, and alight at Molo Beverello – you’ll see the row of ticket offices, and the accompanying departures board. Queue at any office listing Sorrento as a destination, and purchase your ticket – this will probably cost you somewhere in the region of €14 for a single journey. Check the departures board for the next available sailing, make note of which dock it’ll departing from, and off you go! The journey will take about 40 minutes, and is a lovely, relaxing way to get from Naples to Sorrento.

Do bear in mind that Sorrento’s Marina Piccola is at the foot of a rather steep cliff – you’ll probably want to get a bus up to the town centre if you have luggage! For backpackers, there’s also a choice of a gentle walk up the curving road, or taking a short cut and taking the steps up to Piazza Tasso.

How do I get from Naples to Sorrento by train?

Sorrento’s train station is ideally situated in the center of town (and next to the main bus stop, conveniently), and it’s an easy journey if you’re coming from Naples Centrale station!

There’s 3 trains to Sorrento per hour, for a journey time of around 1hr10 to 50 mins, depending on whether you have a direct train, and are run by Circumvesuviana – they’ll have Sorrento listed as their destination. Bear in mind though that the train can get extremely busy – I’ve been on it a number of times, and it’s been very rare to get a seat when travelling towards Sorrento. If you’d rather have a seat, it’s a better idea to catch the train at Naples’ Porta Nolana station, a couple of streets away from Centrale: it’s the terminus for the Circumvesuviana line, and far less busy. Whichever station you choose, remember to validate your ticket before boarding!

Happily, Sorrento is the terminus on the other end of the line, so don’t worry about missing your stop!

Share this guide on how to get from Naples to Sorrento!

You’re all set, and ready to go from Naples to Sorrento! Yay, go you!! Trust me, you’re going to have a wonderful time – Sorrento is a gorgeous place in itself, and also a perfect spot for exploring the Amalfi Coast via day trips. Have a read of my ultimate guide to things to do in Sorrento, or check out my other guides to the Amalfi Coast!

I’d also be super-appreciative if you shared this article – you’ll be helping others in need of info! Or you can pin it to Pinterest using the below image, so you’ve got this guide when you need it! (really helpful if you can’t remember all the details once you reach Naples airport!)

Btw, this guide may include affiliate links! These incur zero extra cost to you – indeed, you might even save a bit! – but clicking them and buying the service provided contributes towards the running of this site. Any extra money goes towards my ever-present gelato addiction.

This was originally published in late October 2017, but has been updated for accuracy and extra awesomeness!